Seasonal Information for Players and Families
Fall
Belmont Youth Lacrosse organizes Sunday afternoon clinics for beginner and intermediate players, both boys and girls in September and October. These clinics strengthen skills as well as give new players a taste of the game so that they can decide if they would like to register for the spring.
Intermediate and advanced players can try out in the fall for summer teams run by other coaches and leagues. (BYL does not run a summer program.) While try outs begin for some teams in September, most are held in October and November. (Check the Web sites below for exact dates.) Summer teams travel to play in weekend tournaments in June and July. Tournaments most often attended by local summer teams are held in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Long Island, New Jersey and sometimes Maryland and Delaware. Coaching is usually strong on these teams, and participating in them is a great way to become a very skilled player. As players enter high school, become very competitive, and begin thinking about playing in college, these select teams can be instrumental during the recruiting process.
Summer teams in the region include:
Top Gun and other programs also have fall playing opportunities both outdoors and indoors.
Winter
Some programs offer indoor playing opportunities – these can be great ways for player to improve skills and to keep their skills alive and getting better in preparation for the spring season. The point of these opportunities is to play and get more experience, rather than to be on a winning team.
Winter is also a good time to think about buying equipment as, with the fast rate at which middle school kids grow, buying helmets and pads too soon might result in the gear becoming too small when the season starts.
Spring
Lacrosse season can get underway in February with some practicing and drill refreshing but the season typically begins the last week or so of March. Belmont Youth Lacrosse teams begin practices indoors (usually at the Burbank School Gym) as soon as space becomes available. Coaches will contact their teams with times and places in late February.
College and independent schools play lacrosse in April, May and June, and the NCAA Div I, II, and III women’s and men’s playoffs begin in late May culminating in the championship games over Memorial Weekend. Tufts and Harvard have outstanding lacrosse teams, and accessible home games. The Cannons, Boston’s pro team, plays its season late May through July with home games played at the Harvard Stadium.
College games are televised on CN8, ESPNU, etc. They can also often be seen on YouTube, along with clips of the country’s top high school and club team games. Watching elite lacrosse can be fun and educational for new players. Attending Belmont High School’s girls’ and boys’ and Belmont Hill varsity games is another easy and excellent way to see the game played well.
Summer
Lacrosse can be a summer sport as well as spring sport (see fall section for summer team try outs). The summer months however are also a good time to take a break from sports or play a different sport. We don’t want kids to get burned out on one sport and, while we love lacrosse players to be dedicated to the sport, we know that other sports such as ice and field hockey, soccer, basketball and football can enhance a player’s performance, physical development, quickness, eye-hand coordination, and spatial sense – aside from being good activities for their own sake.
If a player wants more lacrosse over the summer, lax camps provide outstanding lacrosse player development and later, college recruiting. Attending a camp or two is one of the best ways to enhance a player’s understanding of the game and its skills, strategies and tactics. It is also a chance to be coached by college players, school, college, and club coaches, and to play with boys and girls from other towns and teams. Camps are located all over the US, and may coincide with trips, vacation, family visits and so on.
The Belmont Recreation Dept. (www.town.belmont.ma.us) and Belmont Hill School (www.belmont-hill.org - click under summer programs) have traditionally run camps for young lacrosse players right here in town. Some of the other local and New England camps (this is by no means a complete list) you might find useful are:
